Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), the navratna defence PSU, is opening a product support centre at the Kinfra Hi-Tech Park at Kalamassery near here, which will be inaugurated by the Defence Minister, Mr A.K. Antony, on Tuesday.
The BEL Product Support Centre at Kochi has been set up to provide waterfront support for the Southern Naval Command and to support outsourcing of Naval System Projects to Units of KELTRON.
It is also envisaged to co-ordinate equipment supply and support to the air defence ship project at Cochin Shipyard Ltd and to support the sonar development projects at the National Physical & Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), Kochi, which is a DRDO lab.
BEL is already providing waterfront support to the Indian Navy at Mumbai, Kolkata and Visakhapatnam.
The Product Support Centre at Kochi will further strengthen BEL's ability to support Naval products and systems, a press release said.
The inaugural function will be presided over by the State Industries Minister, Mr Elamaram Kareem. The Guests of Honour are Prof K.V. Thomas, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution; Mr S. Sarma, Minister for Fisheries & Registration; Mr Jose Thettayil, Minister for Transport; and Mr Oommen Chandy, Leader of the Opposition, Kerala Legislative Assembly.
Top in defence electronics
Set up in Bangalore in 1954, BEL has grown into India's foremost defence electronics company. BEL is a multi-product, multi-technology, multi-unit conglomerate boasting over 350 products in the areas of military communication, radars, naval systems, C4I systems, electronic warfare, tank electronics, electro optics, telecom & broadcast, professional electronic components and solar photovoltaic systems. BEL also provides turnkey system solutions.
Nearly 80-85 per cent of the company's annual sales turnover accrues from products sold to the Defence services. The company's turnover has been on a steady rise. During 2009-10, BEL achieved a turnover of Rs 5,219.77 crore. BEL has been making profits continuously for more than four decades and rewarding its shareholders with handsome dividends.
The company paid a dividend of 192 per cent for the year 2009-10, the release added.